Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Pros: Incredible dunes, wonderful hiking trails, Lake Michigan
Cons: It sometimes gets crowded

Vacations are all about making memories. Like many families, our family has built up a history of traditions associated with our vacations to make those memories all the richer.

One of those traditions involves a visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes....

Pros: A Great Activity Trip for all ages that allow you to enjoy natural beauty and ancient wonders
Cons: Rather isolated from accommodations like restaurants and rest rooms and hotels

There is a mighty legend, written by the Chippewa Indians about a bear and her cubs who were forced to swim across Lake Michigan during a time of disaster. The outcome of this tale is the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and National Park, located along 35 miles...

Pros: Clean, spacious sites, nightly Ranger programs, great beach areas.
Cons: Only thing I could list would be there's no playground area.

Our family has just returned from a wonderful camping vacation in NW Michigan. We had not settled on a destination for our annual vacation until just a few weeks ago. We decided to return to NW Michigan and tent camp. I spent hours, even days on the ...

Pros: Breathtaking, Peaceful, Affordable
Cons: Very Busy During "the season".

Sleeping Bear Dunes…What can I say? My husband and I made this 35 miles of Lake Michigan Shoreline our destination for our Honeymoon. We could not have been happier with out choice. North Western Michigan is breath taking on it’s own, but the Traverse...

Pros: Unique and spectacular sand dunes;Charming Leelanau Peninsula; Backcountry camping on Manitou Islands
Cons: Sand in every place imaginable; Somewhat remote (6-7 hours drive from Chicago and Detroit)

Sand dunes are not uncommon along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. But don't write off a trip to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (SBNL) just because you have played on the smaller dunes in southwestern Michigan or northern Indiana. The dunes at SBNL...

Pros: Beautiful.
Cons: Subject to Michigan weather changes

I grew up in a variety of spots in Michigan. I lived near Detroit for a while. I lived up in the UP in a town called Calumet for a while. I lived in Kingsley, Manton, Big Rapids, etc. for a while. I always ended up back at my Grandmother’s home near...

Pros: Beautiful mostly unspoiled dune and forest area.
Cons: Not as accessible as it used to be.

The legend of Sleeping Bear dunes is that a mother and her cubs were swimming across Lake Michigan and promptly fell asleep. There is more to this story, I know there is, but I forget. I have been going to that area since, well, before I was born. The...

Pros: goregous sights, good excersicing, not too crowded
Cons: wheather, isolated, not enough bathrooms.

The legend of the Sleeping bear is a beautiful and sad legend. You almost get the feeling that you shouldn't be walking along the dunes being so happy when the story goes that she's waiting for her dead cubs to get to the shore. It's a wonderful place to...

Pros: crystal clear water, breathtaking views, tons of stuff to do!
Cons: can be pricey, very crowded in the summer

Ok, so I'm a little biased. Growing up, I never missed a summer at Glen Lake and the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Now, I live here! I'm surprised at how many people that live in Michigan or are close to Michigan have never visited the park. There's too much...

Pros: Way to many to list, I love just about everything about this place!
Cons: No playground...yeah thats all I could come up with :)

This is my absolute favorite place to camp!! If you go in May/June or Sept/October, you will NOT experience the crowds that everyone writes about.  You will have a beautiful, peaceful park practically all to yourself!!  The park is incredibly ...